In cooking, many kinds of ingredients are mixed together to give such great flavor. Each ingredient and spice brings different sensation in term of texture, flavor, and aroma. In term of taste, spices are necessary to provide delicious foods with various layers and depths of taste. One of the popular spices is clove. The size is small with dark brown color. Although it is tiny compared to other spices and cooking ingredients, its characteristics in term of flavors and aromas make cuisines more special. There are also many other interesting things about the spices. So, what is clove? You will get the answer about the spices and its great facts.
Uses and Other Facts about Cloves
What is clove? Each person can have different answer about it. Chefs and other people who spend their times by working in kitchen will say that clove is one of spices. However, those who have interest in natural remedies will say that clove can become great cures. There are still other interesting things that you can find about the small spice.
Clove is actually a flower bud. The buds are harvested and dried. It has reddish and brownish color with small size. Cloves started to get popular after the spices were brought to Europe from Moluccas in Indonesia. Until now, Moluccas becomes one of the important places with commodities of cloves. It has pungent aroma and flavor with hint of warm sensation.
What is clove and its use? Because it is known as spice, of course main uses that are popular among people is for ingredients in cooking. Some people choose to have the whole clove in the cuisine, but there are also people who prefer ground clove or powder to the whole ones. In term of taste, there is no big different. However, the ground clove or its powder is easier to cook and it can also be good way to avoid accidently biting and crushing the spice. Although it can enhance flavor, biting the spice directly will surely give you unpleasant aftertaste. In addition to cooking, cloves become one of the herbal remedies.
Next, what is clove and its medical values? Nutrients and natural compounds in cloves are special. With the serving of a teaspoon of clove, it can provide some vitamins, fibers, and even manganese. Regarding the manganese, it has vital function to strengthen the bone structure. Manganese and calcium will be responsible in maintaining the strength of bones. Then, cloves are also useful to control blood sugar or glucose. Insulin can work better when you supplement the hormone with regular consumption of clove. As the results, glucoses can be broken down and distributed to whole body as source of energy. There are still other benefits of clove, including its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Normally people will use the whole, ground, or powder form of clove. However, you can also find clove oil. So, what is clove oil? It is essences of clove extracted from the buds. In fact, the sources can also be from leaves and stems. Clove oil will be great way to gain eugenol. Normally, the oil has high density so it is recommended to dilute and mix it with other ingredients.
